Page 31 of Axe Marks the Spot

“I’ve divided the agreement into sections: Consent & Communication, Boundaries & Limitations, Responsibilities of the Dom, Responsibilities of the Sub, Rules & Discipline, Duration & Termination, Confidentiality & Privacy, and lastly, our signatures. We’ll start at the top and go to the bottom.

“As I mentioned, and as it states under Consent & Communication, this dynamic is fully voluntary and can be terminated by either party at any time. You’ll see that I require open and honest communication at all times as well. I cannot read your mind, and you cannot read mine. We also have the added hurdle of anonymity.”

I stare at her dark screen, wishing she’d chosen to show her face, but I can also respect why she didn’t.

I continue. “I cannot see your reactions to me, nor can you see mine. It’s very important that we use our words. Do you think that will be an issue for you?”

I hear a soft exhalation through my speakers before her warm voice follows. “I will do the best I can, Sir. I admit that sometimes I have a hard time with that.”

I lean back in my chair. “In what way?”

There’s a long pause, and it pleases me that she’s now thinking before she answers. “I, well, sometimes I lie about how I’m feeling. Or that I need help with something.”

“I see. Do you want to change that?”

“I thin—” She pauses and changes her words. “Yes, I’d like to be more honest.”

Good girl. I think the praise to myself. We haven’t discussed if that is an affirmation she’d like me to use, so I won’t yet.

“It’s not uncommon to feel shy about being honest. But if you can promise me that you’ll do your best and admit to me when you’ve lied or have the urge to lie, we can work together to improve on it. I do ask, however, that you’re always honest if something I do makes you uncomfortable or if you do not like something I ask you to do. That, I do not want you to lie about. Is that something you can agree to?”

“Aren’t Dominants supposed to make you uncomfortable, make you do things you don’t like?”

I lean forward in my chair, staring at the dark screen. “Yes, but let me clarify. I may push you into things that feel uncomfortable, especially if they challenge you or help you grow. That’s part of the dynamic. But I’ll always encourage you to tell me how you’re feeling before, during, and after. A healthy D/s relationship is built on mutual consent, trust, and respect, not fear or coercion. As your Dom, I’ll push your limits but won’t violate your boundaries. You’ll never be forced into anything you haven’t already given me permission to take.”

“I feel silly now,” she says.

“You don’t need to. It’s a thoughtful question, and I’m glad you asked. I’d also like to point out that you were honest with your feelings just now. You’ve made me happy.”

I imagine Lindsey is blushing from the praise, even if I don’t truly know if she is. But I’ve been doing this long enough to know what a blush sounds like, and her hitched breathing on the other end of the connection clues me in to her reaction before she responds with, “I’m glad, Sir.”

Fuck. I should not be thinking about how much I like the way she says Sir. It’s warm, her voice reminding me of the classical music I love so much. I notice she puts a different inflection on it each time, depending on what she’s responding to.

Sir is the honorific all my submissives use for me, and Lindsey using it should not be any different. But it is.

I clear my throat and refocus. “Moving on to safe words.”

Lindsey decided to keep the traffic light system. Red to stop, yellow to slow down, green to keep going. It’s good to have them if something I say or do becomes too much for her or she wants me to stop immediately. I also like to use them to check in, confirm she’s liking something I’m doing.

“Do you feel good about our chosen safe words?” I ask once more.

“Yes, Sir. Do you?”

Her question is sweet and a little sassy. “Yes, I do.”

“Good,” she says.

I smile as I move on to the next subject. “On to communication. I recommend a weekly video check-in to start, but our daily work can be done online using an end-to-end encrypted messaging app to ensure privacy. I request that you journal on your thoughts and feelings daily. This will not only help you stay on track with your goals, but it’s also something that will help with your honesty. If you can’t tell me your thoughts and feelings directly, you can write them in your journal. You will send me your pages every Sunday night for me to review. Does that work for you?”

The pause on Lindsey’s end is longer than usual. I wait another thirty seconds before I ask, “What’s going on over there, Lindsey?”

“I—” Another long pause. “My life is a little complicated, and I’m worried that I’ll fail before I even start.”

“First, that’s very normal when you’re starting out. This process can be overwhelming. And second, I think you’re better at being honest than you give yourself credit for.”

She laughs, but it’s not a light laugh. It’s a sad one.

“Tell me what you’re worried about, and we’ll adjust accordingly,” I say.